"These must be the Daoists from the Qingcheng Sword Sect. It’s a pleasure to meet you!"

Seeing Zhao Rui and the others arrive, an old man at the head of the table rose slightly and said with a smile.

As soon as his words fell, someone immediately made an introduction: "This is the Lord Daoist of our Sichuan Province!"

At the same time, he also introduced Zhao Rui’s group of three.

When it was Zhao Rui’s turn to be introduced, everyone present looked over in unison.

Apparently, the news of Zhao Rui breaking a thousand martial artists with a single flute tune on the mountain had already spread.

"Elder Zhao, you are so young and promising. This is truly a blessing for Qing City, and for our Sichuan Province as well!"

The Lord Daoist sized up Zhao Rui for a moment and couldn’t help but nod in praise.

"You’re too kind, my lord!"

Zhao Rui smiled and replied politely.

After some simple pleasantries, everyone present greeted each other again.

It was only then that Zhao Rui learned that all the bald men were high-ranking members of the Emei Sect.

But there was no one from the Emei Sword Sect.

Two others were from the Shushan Tang Sect, and the rest were all famous figures from the Sichuan Province’s Martial Arts world.

Zhao Rui didn’t recognize any of them and just went through the motions of greeting them formally.

After everyone had finished their greetings, they each took their seats.

The Lord Daoist at the head of the table finally spoke: "I have gathered all you masters here today, first, to convey the directives from our superiors, and second, to discuss the future of our Sichuan Province with you all..."

After a simple opening speech, staff members began handing out documents to everyone.

Zhao Rui opened his and couldn’t help but feel his heart tighten.

Inside, he found information about the Returning Ruins Exotic Realm.

’So the Court has known about Gui Xu for a long time.’

"The Land of Return is no different from the Central Plains. Its people live perennially in places rich with Spiritual Qi. They are as light as swallows and possess immense strength, born with a natural talent for the Martial Dao..."

"The Martial Artists there absorb Innate True Qi and can often stimulate Attribute Power. The strong can move mountains, fill seas, and summon wind and rain..."

"When people from the Central Plains first entered this realm, they still harbored great ambitions... but later, the Court suffered setbacks, and the various nations were forced to retreat."

"At that time, the various sects could barely fend for themselves and were powerless to resist. They could only take their disciples, followers, and affiliated populace to find places to hide..."

The more Zhao Rui read, the more shocked he became.

He finally understood that over five hundred years ago, the Martial Arts practitioners, armies, and civilians from various nations who had entered the Land of Return did not, as he had previously thought, easily conquer Gui Xu.

Instead, they had engaged in an epic, prolonged war with the people of the Land of Return for hundreds of years, barely managing to survive.

Their territory actually accounted for less than ten percent of the Land of Return.

The natives of the Land of Return not only had powerful Innate physiques, but their Cultivation Techniques were also unique.

Their strengths were in no way inferior to, and perhaps even surpassed, the Grandmaster Martial Artists of the Central Plains!

After several hundred years of fighting, the remaining forces from Blue Star within Gui Xu had gradually stabilized their positions.

Now that Gui Xu was returning, they would naturally not wait to be slaughtered.

Thus, during the Spiritual Qi Revival, they used a Secret Technique to send people back to the Central Plains.

The Court’s subsequent nationwide martial arts promotion was pushed by them from behind the scenes.

As for the people who appeared in the Northwest, they were true natives of Gui Xu.

After hundreds of years of fighting and integrating with the various sects from the Central Plains, they had learned much of the Central Plains’ knowledge and were no longer the barbaric people of the past.

This time, they took advantage of the period before Gui Xu’s full arrival to make arrangements with various factions in Central Asia and certain Western Countries.

The legacy of Martial Dao in the West over the past century was obtained from them.

Of course, the complexities couldn’t be summarized in a few words, but Zhao Rui had grasped the general idea.

"Gui Xu’s arrival is imminent, and the Court is under immense pressure. We hope that all of you will act with loyalty to the country and love for the people, and provide your full support..."

The entire meeting lasted a full two hours.

There were roughly two main topics. First, before Gui Xu’s arrival, all sects were to cooperate with the Court’s martial arts promotion to increase the quantity and quality of Martial Artists as quickly as possible.

Second, when Gui Xu arrives, the various sects must set an example, guard the heartland of the Central Plains, and, if necessary, send out forces to protect the nation.

"My lord, my Qingcheng Mountain only has a handful of people. We truly can’t handle such a great responsibility."

Daoist Yu said with a troubled expression.

Even counting the ten or twenty youths the Court sent later, their Qing City sect had no more than sixty or seventy members.

Most of them were young Daoists. There were only seven or eight middle-aged and elderly Daoists with any real strength.

Their strength was pitifully weak.

If it weren’t for Zhao Rui, their Jiahai Purple Gold Beam, who knows what would have become of Qingcheng Mountain.

"Daoist Yu, you are too modest. Who doesn’t know of the sharp Sword Qi and unparalleled Secret Techniques of the Qingcheng Sword Sect... This matter doesn’t just concern Sichuan Province; it is part of the Court’s grand strategy..."

"I am aware of everyone’s difficulties. The province does have relevant preferential policies to offer you..."

Soon, a staff member brought over a new policy document.

The title read: "Interim Measures and Guiding Opinions on the Autonomous Operation and Management of Martial Arts Sects within the Jurisdiction."

Inside were several pages filled with new regulations concerning the operation and management of the sects.

For example, related management bodies like nature reserves would no longer be established. Instead, they would be converted into support organizations for cultural collection, compilation, and dissemination.

Each sect would have priority rights to manage the mountain forests and streams within a one-hundred-kilometer radius of their sect.

There were other similar preferential policies, all centered on one point: letting the sects make money.

"Amitabha Buddha!"

The members of the Emei Sect couldn’t help but chant the Buddha’s name. This was exactly to their liking.

Yu Zhengnan was no saint, either. Which sect didn’t need to eat?

It’s not like they could live on air.

Seeing this, he also clasped his hands together, chanted "Boundless Celestial Venerable," and raised no further objections.

After the meeting, the Lord Daoist specially hosted a banquet for the high-ranking members of the Sichuan Province sects, where they chatted freely.

Afterward, everyone returned to their respective sect headquarters.

The matter of the sect’s development was naturally the responsibility of Yu Zhengnan, the proper Daoist, to plan and manage.

Zhao Rui, as an honorary Elder, just needed to lend his name.

After staying on the mountain for two days, Zhao Rui took Qin Rui and the other two back to Jeju.

After being cleansed by Spiritual Qi and cultivating the Guiyuan Skill during this period, the Power of Qin Rui and the other two had progressed immensely.

Especially Qin Rui and Zhao Xin; it was estimated that they would achieve a Level breakthrough in a month or two.

"Bro, do you think going to university will still be useful in the future?"

Zhao Xin asked hesitantly.

"You don’t go to university just for the diploma, but to learn. If you feel there’s nothing left for you to learn there, then of course you don’t have to go."

Zhao Rui said with a frown.

"The path of the Martial Dao is about conforming to your nature and letting things take their course. Don’t force it."

Zhao Rui continued. Who knew what the future held, but for a Martial Arts Student, a university diploma was definitely not as important as it once was.

"Okay, I’ll think about it some more."

Zhao Xin stayed in Jeju for a day before Zhao Rui sent him back to Lin City.

He hadn’t been home in a long time, and with winter break approaching, it was a good time for him to go back for a visit.

Speaking of which, he had really been "neglecting his proper duties" this semester!

This semester, he had spent almost all his time on Qingcheng Mountain. He rarely even went to Martial Arts Team practice, let alone classes.

His studies had fallen behind by more than just a little.

If there were exams, he would definitely fail.

Fortunately, his status was special now. Wang Zhanshan had applied to the school for special arrangements, and for exams and such, they just gave him the answers.

It saved him the trouble.

Zhao Rui drove back to Lin City, but instead of going home, he first made a trip to his old hometown.

He dropped Zhao Xin off.

When Zhao Jinze and his wife heard Zhao Rui was coming, they scrambled to prepare a meal at the best restaurant in the county.

In the county, Zhao Jinze was no longer the ordinary public official he used to be.

Instead, he had become a major figure who held sway in both legitimate and illegitimate circles.

All of this was, of course, thanks to Zhao Rui.

"Third Uncle, Third Aunt, there’s no need to be so formal. It would have been great to just eat at home!"

Arriving at the restaurant, Zhao Rui said to Zhao Jinze and his wife with a smile.

"It’s rare for you to come back, so you should try some hometown cuisine. The food in the school cafeteria can’t compare to a restaurant like this, after all."

Zhao Jinze said with a laugh.

Zhao Rui smiled and didn’t refuse again. The family began to eat, talking and laughing.

"The Court’s control over Martial Artists has been surprisingly tight this time. Two hidden Martial Artists in the county were unexpectedly rooted out..."

Zhao Jinze mentioned casually during their chat.

"Hidden? Third Uncle, even you, a member of the Martial Arts Association, didn’t know?"

"How would I know? These two were originally ordinary people, but in just half a year, they cultivated to become Level 5 Martial Artists."

"If the Martial Artist census hadn’t exposed them, I’m afraid the two of them would have holed up until they became Grandmasters before showing their faces."

Zhao Jinze said this as if it were an amusing anecdote.

"Third Uncle, what kind of Martial Arts do you think could let an ordinary person train to become a Fifth-level Martial Artist in just half a year?"

Zhao Rui said, his young face turning serious.

The moment he said this, Zhao Jinze was also stunned.

’That’s right, what kind of Martial Arts could have such an effect?’